I love Goodreads. It’s always fun looking back across the year and remembering the best things I’ve read in the past 12 months. Goodreads’ Reading Challenge encourages me further, and in 2024, I smashed my goal. Here’s how.
1
I Set a Realistic Reading Goal
At the start of every year, Goodreads asks me to take part in its Reading Challenge, but before I set a goal, I try to factor in what other reading goals I have for the next year.
In 2024, I aimed to catch up on a few epic classics that I’d been meaning to read for years. I also noted down a few titles I always read each year—How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, for instance. That’s why I set a realistic goal of 52 books, i.e. one a week. In the fall, I realized I’d been too conservative as I was only a couple of novels away from completing the year’s challenge. So I increased it to 70. That’s roughly in line with previous years, which ranged from 51 to 82.
Yes, I’d like to read more often, but setting a goal that is both a challenge and manageable means I’m not overly stressed about aims and rushing through books just to tick off an online target.
2
I Read a Mix of Long and Short Books
In 2024, my longest book was 1,368 pages long. My shortest was just 28 pages. On average, books were 211 pages in length, so striking a good balance between short titles and lengthy ones is vital. Vital, that is, not just for my Goodreads Challenge, but also in giving me fresh things to think about.
We all would like to think we can read novels that are the size of War and Peace consecutively. But we can’t. And we shouldn’t.
This also means you can vary format. I read a mix of novels, non-fiction, graphic novels, omnibuses, and scripts. Omnibuses are huge; scripts are often comparatively short. Most importantly, both are fulfilling.
3
I Read Numerous Books at the Same Time
This is a controversial idea and not one that everyone can do, but I read several books at the same time. This means there’s always something I can turn to, whatever mood I’m in, whenever I have a spare few minutes even.
I can’t take a huge novel on a bus with me and not be weighed down too much. But I can take a novella or poetry book. I want something more substantial when I’m feeling artistic, so a heavy tome about Van Gogh is ideal.
Some people will worry that they can’t remember individual plot strands if reading numerous books at the same time, and that’s a fair argument. However, it’s much easier if you read different genres or formats. You won’t get characters from a romance book mixed up with those in a thriller. You won’t question what’s happened to Scrooge when reading a non-fiction book either.
Even if you can only manage two books at the same time, that’s better than just one, and will help you reach your Reading Challenge goal much faster. And there are other apps that can help you read more every year.
4
I Checked for ISBNs on Everything
I went to Greenway, Agatha Christie’s holiday home, and got the slim guide for it. It was a pleasure to read. I also added it to the My Books section on Goodreads.
You’d be surprised at what has an ISBN. That’s the barcode at the back of a book, generally used by retailers to log products brought in and sold. It’s also what you can use to find individual editions of books on Goodreads, if you can’t find them through title alone.
I was surprised to find the amount of things I can add to Goodreads that aren’t books. I could add comics. I could add audio dramas. I could add some visitor guides.
I make rules for this type of thing. I read too many comics to list them all: that alone would become a job. But graphic novels count. Make your own rules and be prepared to find out how many items have ISBNs.
5
I Listened to Audiobooks
Does listening to an audiobook count as reading? The jury is out because it is, of course, personal preference. It’s fair to argue that, however you consume media, you’re still benefitting from the information it’s imparting.
Spotify Premium offers audiobooks, so that’s a big help in achieving reading targets. It also means that, if a book is sold out or too expensive, I can listen to the audio version with no fuss.
Many libraries have a range of audiobooks and audio dramas available to rent too. Don’t be shy in giving your local library a visit, as it can really help you smash your Reading Challenge for 2025.
